- 1847 - Hall of Famer C/3B Deacon White was born in Caton, NY. He played as a 41 year old for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1889, and lasted one more season before ending his 20-year career with the Buffalo Bisons, retiring with a .312 BA.
- 1937 - Connie Mack, who caught for and managed Pittsburgh briefly (1894-1896), was announced as as a selection of the Centennial Commission to the Hall of Fame. His induction ceremony took place on June 12th, 1939 when the Hall officially opened.
- 1930 - C Hal Smith was born in West Frankfort, Illinois. Although the backup catcher only played two seasons (1960-61) in Pittsburgh, his three run homer in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, overshadowed by Maz’s dramatic walk-off, may have been the key blow of the entire set. Mel Allen called it "one of the most dramatic base hits in the history of the World Series." It put the Bucs up 8-6 after eight innings and set the stage for Maz, whose blow nudged Smith from the history books.
Hal Smith photo from the Brookline Connection
- 1946 - The Indians sent rosy-cheeked OF Gene Woodling to Pittsburgh for veteran C Al Lopez. Lopez played just 61 games in 1947‚ and Woodling spent a season as a reserve, hitting .266, before the Pirates sent him to the minor league San Francisco Seals. Woodling joined the Yankees in 1949, and when he finally hung up his spikes in 1962, he had a 17 year career with three All-Star nods, five World Series rings and a lifetime .288 BA under his belt.
- 2012 - The Pirates signed free agent LHP Érik Bédard to a 1 year/$4.5M contract. After going 7-14/5.01, he was released in August.
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